


Zero and Axl

by Deerbot



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Fluff, i think...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-05-31
Packaged: 2018-07-11 07:09:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7035130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deerbot/pseuds/Deerbot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another fic I need to reupload because I deleted them with poor in-the-moment decisions. This was originally the first fic I wrote. Then I went on to write a bunch of weird stuff. My legacy. </p><p>Original Description: "Here is my first fanfiction! It takes place between X7 and X8. It's mostly ZeroAxl with parts of XZero. Mostly Zero and Axl though. I don't want to spoil too much of the plot but I guess this counts as fluff? I'm still not sure about these terms people use. I'm planning on making a couple sequels in the future, but this is made to be standalone."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Zero and Axl had just returned from a late night mission. Tired, Zero decided to head to his room and recharge. Axl wandered off through the lobby, people assuming he was headed to the public recharge bay. It hadn’t been too long ago that Axl was finally recognized as an official hunter, despite X’s objections. Zero, on the other hand, was the one who pushed for the decision to be made. As far as Zero was concerned Axl had plenty of potential to be a great hunter. He’d already proven himself countless times, what more could X want?

Memories of X from long ago ran through Zero’s mind as he walked towards his room. He remembered when he was his mentor, watching him gain independence and confidence. Memories of fighting mavericks together led to memories of them spending time together. A particular memory of X’s sleeping face stuck in his mind. Smiling and soft, if for a moment not worrying about the escalating maverick situation. A sudden call from his ex-partner pulled him back into reality, reminding him of the current state of their relationship.

“Zero! I need you to confirm Axl’s location. He’s not in the main public recharge bay. Make sure he isn’t running around causing trouble.” Impersonal and to the point, and still untrusting of Axl. No reply was needed from Zero, not that he sought conversation with X these days. Zero hoped when X returned to hunting that he might return to his old self, but instead it felt like he became even more agitated. It took its toll on Zero, who was becoming increasingly withdrawn. All too quickly his old feelings of X were replaced by new ones of frustration. Unspoken feelings of abandonment and confusion bubbled inside him, hidden behind an unreadable expression. He hoped checking on Axl would be enough of a distraction to put his nerves at ease again.

“AXL?” he yelled out into an empty hall. He’d already gone through several lobbies and teleport rooms with no luck. Just where did he wander off to? Simply heading back to his own room became tempting, but the thought of listening to another of X’s naggings left him wondering if it’d be worth it. Unbeknownst to him the reploid he’d been searching for was spying on him from the other end of the hall.

Axl tip-toed slowly towards Zero, careful of the clunking noises his feet made on the polished floor. He made sure all his communications were shut off to not tip Zero off as he got nearer. Zero was too lost in his thoughts to pay attention either way. Finally, less than a foot away from his target, Axl took his chance and leapt forward.

If it hadn’t been for the giggles that ensued Zero very well would have retaliated with force. Two hands covered his eyes, blocking out his vision. Axl was well amused by such a simple prank, his giggles turning into a laugh. It was childish, Zero admitted, but it brought back more old memories. X had pulled the same trick on him before Sigma’s uprising, when times were more peaceful and they were alone. Axl’s laughter quickly died down when he realized how still and silent Zero became. He’d expected a more aggressive reaction and had an escape route planned, but now he wondered if he’d overstepped his boundaries.

“Zero?” There was no immediate response. He was about to ask if something was wrong when Zero finally replied. “Let’s head to my room for the night.”

Axl couldn’t believe his luck. Ordinarily he had to use the public recharge bays. Only official hunters were allowed their own rooms in the base with their own personal chargers. Axl was still waiting for a room to be made available for him, since he was a new hunter. He wished they’d hurry up. Axl didn’t enjoy the lack of privacy in a public recharge bay, especially when he was accustomed to having his own room when he was with Red Alert. Necessity had forced him to use the public chargers ever since he ran away to join the hunters. Being able to use Zero’s without others around sounded refreshing. Sure, Zero was still going to be there, but he was an obvious exception. Spending the night with Zero in the privacy of his room seemed ideal, but he couldn’t help noticing that Zero looked bothered by something. Feeling it was partly his fault, he talked about various gossip, hoping it would cheer Zero up on their way to his room.

Zero was mentally questioning his decision as they neared his room. He’d hardly been thinking when he invited Axl. It just slipped out. He’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t enjoy Axl’s company, though. He’d grown attached to him. Had becoming X’s mentor and companion for so long done this? Zero felt embarrassed at how needy he was being. Then he felt guilt for dragging Axl into a pool of his own personal problems. Axl still wasn’t sure what Zero had planned, and Zero wasn’t sure himself. At least he seemed happy about the situation so far. Once they arrived Zero entered his room, Axl following excitedly behind.

He’d never been in Zero’s room before. Immediately he began examining everything. There were basics such as a television, couches, shelves, and a small hall that lead to a washroom and bedroom. It was less extravagant than what he imagined. Zero sent a quick message to X letting him know that he’d found Axl, then motioned for him to come into the bedroom.

Axl was surprised to see an actual bed with a charger rather than a charging pod. He heard X preferred using a bed, which didn’t come as a surprise to him, but had always imagined Zero preferring a pod. He wasn’t aware that Zero’s preference for a bed was because of X. They slept together in one so often that he’d simply gotten used to it.

Zero began stripping his armor off and hanging parts on a designated stand. Axl threw his parts in a pile on the floor. He was surprised when Zero wanted him to enter the washroom with him. Zero stripped the rest of his undersuit off before walking into a shower and switching the water on. Hoping he wasn’t misreading Zero’s intentions, Axl stripped off his own undersuit and timidly entered the shower with him. Zero began washing his hair before stepping back and allowing Axl access to the shower’s water. Axl mimicked the same procedure as Zero, washing his hair and stepping back so Zero could have access to the water again. Zero rinsed his hair, then finished washing off the dirt and oil from his body. Again he stepped back, and again Axl tried to mimic the same procedure Zero took. However, this time Zero’s hand stopped his own when he began washing himself. “Let me help” was the only reply he gave before he started washing Axl.

Axl was silent, a sharp contrast to his earlier chattering. Zero began wondering if he was taking this too far. He was about to stop and hope they could forget the whole thing until Axl decided to go from standing in the shower to sitting. He looked up and smiled at Zero, inviting him to join him.

Zero slowly sat behind him, confusion across his face, until Axl leaned back into him. He had to admit it was much more comfortable washing him this way than standing. As tired as he was he couldn’t help taking his time washing Axl off. Axl kept leaning back into Zero, leisurely lifting his arms and twisting around to give him better access to different spots.

It had been a long time since Axl was pampered like this. When Red first found him he had no knowledge of who he was or how to even care for himself. Red taught him everything, even how to wash himself. Red Alert was all he ever knew before the maverick incident, and he missed being indulged and spoiled.

As much as they both enjoyed the shower, they were beginning to doze off. Zero had run out of spots to clean and was repeatedly rinsing Axl’s hair. Noticing his struggle to keep his eyes open, Zero decided to stand up and shut the shower off. He grabbed Axl’s hand to help him up and lead him away from the shower. Axl groggily followed him back to the bedroom to dry off and get ready to sleep.

Axl was more than happy to collapse into bed and slip himself under the covers. He hooked himself up to the charger near the end of the bed, immediately feeling a soothing sensation from the recharge. He grabbed a pillow and held it against himself, enjoying the feeling of holding something while he charged. Today had been a very good one for him. He’d done well on their mission, pranked Zero, got pampered in a shower, and was about to enjoy a night charging in a far more comfortable and private than a public charge pod. All of this because of Zero. He shut his eyes and sighed happily.

Zero had been observing Axl with amusement, but was still handling his inner turmoil. Axl, in some ways, reminded him of the X he knew long ago. It didn’t help that he had the same green eyes and a giant X-shaped scar across his face. Axl was obviously more mischievous and happygo-lucky than X ever was, but Zero missed having someone under his care. Axl was childish, sure, but he listened to his advice and was effective in battle. Zero found it refreshing. It reminded him of happier times.

Zero slipped into bed, his back facing Axl, and hooked himself up to another slot in the charger. Axl wiggled his way over to Zero and wrapped a leg around him. Zero didn’t want to take any more advantage of Axl than he already had. Axl wasn’t dumb though, and had already caught on that Zero wanted something from him.

Axl noticed the change in how Zero looked at him after the shower. His face was softer. It reminded him of the way Red would look at him when they spent time together. He was always proud of their secret weapon, and just for him being himself. He enjoyed the excessive attention Red had always given him. If Zero wanted to give him attention then Axl was more than happy to receive all that he could, but he needed to find a way to get that message across to Zero. Just plainly stating it was too boring.

He began nuzzling his nose into Zero’s neck and let out another happy sigh. Zero continued resisting his urges, ready to deny anything if asked, but Axl wasn’t having any of it. He knew Zero wanted this just as much as he did. Axl sat up on the bed and began melodramatically shaking Zero.

“Zerooo, come on.” He whined.

“What?” Zero snapped a bit more defensively than he meant to. By this point he knew Axl had an idea of what he wanted and was trying to tempt him.

Axl puffed out his cheeks and looked at him annoyed. He finally decided to just pull Zero up until he was sitting with him. Zero decided to give up and let him. Seeing that Zero was finally going along with what he wanted, he crawled into his lap, facing him, and began rubbing his head against Zero’s chin. Zero leaned back into the headboard, closed his eyes, and exhaled. He would just let him do as he pleased. Axl pulled one of Zero’s hands around him and placed the other on his head. Zero began stroking his hair, Axl eagerly leaning his head against his hand. Everything about Axl was very content, and Zero jokingly thought to himself that perhaps Axl was just a cleverly disguised cat.

Admittedly, Zero was in a pretty good mood too. The shower had calmed his nerves a lot, but there was still something bothering him.

X… it had been so long since he’d been this way with anyone other than X. He couldn’t decide what he was trying to get from this experience with Axl.

Unfortunately for Zero, he didn’t charge quite as quickly as newer models and was still very tired. Too tired to pay attention to himself accidentally mumbling X’s name while stroking Axl’s hair. It wasn’t until he noticed Axl looking at him with surprise and concern that he realized what he’d just done. 


	2. Chapter 2

Shock covered Zero’s face. He honestly hadn’t been thinking and didn’t expect to let something like that slip out. He began to worry about what Axl would think, or what anyone would think. He didn’t like the idea of people thinking he’d become desperate with his need to nurture someone in place of X. Even worse, he didn’t want Axl thinking he just wanted a substitute for him. He was about to try and explain himself before Axl interrupted him.

“Zero…” he had to look away from Axl’s face as he said it. Those green eyes and Axl’s own blush reminded him more and more of X. He felt guiltier by the second. He wasn’t sure what he expected to hear, but it wasn’t anything good.

“Zero… you can call me X… if you want to…” He trailed off at the end. Zero felt like the universe had stopped. “But…” Zero froze once more. Again, he was expecting some kind of anger or mocking. What he heard instead left him silent. “Zero, could I…” Axl hesitated a moment before continuing “call you Red?”

The waves of different emotions Zero had felt in the last couple minutes left him dizzy, but in time were replaced with realization of the situation the two found themselves in. He couldn’t help but feel one more wave of sadness. Zero still kept his eyes averted from Axl’s gaze, looking down at the bed. Axl stared at him and gulped nervously as another lengthy silence began. Everyone at the hunter base still felt like such a stranger to Axl, except for Zero.

Axl was desperate for the chance to feel close to someone like Red again. He needed to. He started shaking and was worried about having a breakdown in front of his mentor, when he felt Zero’s arms tighten around him. A feeling of hope took over. Zero pulled his body against his chest and slowly rubbed his forehead against Axl’s. Axl eagerly returned the sign of affection and started rubbing his own forehead against Zero’s. However, he wasn’t sure if Zero had accepted his offer or was just trying to calm him down. He was about to ask when Zero revealed the answer himself.

“X…” Zero whispered timidly into Axl’s ear. It felt overwhelmingly awkward to both of them, but nice. He gave a rough nuzzle into Axl’s hair before he was finally able to look Axl in the eyes again. Axl had a large, goofy smile across his face. He was trying not to giggle from nervousness but couldn’t hold it in. He started laughing almost hysterically for a few seconds, still clutching his pillow with both hands. Once he calmed down he saw Zero looking at him softly with a small smile.

“I love you Red!” Axl happily blurted out, nuzzling Zero’s neck. If they were actually going through with this, he thought, then he might as well take it all the way at the start. Especially with Zero seeming like he could bolt at any second. Zero was taken aback by how forward Axl had just been, but he supposed it meant anything was acceptable now.

Axl was humming and playing with Zero’s hair. He was being unbearably docile. It gave Zero strong urges to just flood him with affection then and there. He began ruffling his hair and tried not to seem so excited.

“Red, I’m a hunter now…” Axl mumbled into his ear. Zero wasn’t sure how he was supposed to do this, or how seriously Axl was even taking everything. He decided a simple reply would be his best option.

“Uh, Is that so?” He tried to imitate what he remembered of Red’s voice.

“Mhmm. I get to train under Zero! Isn’t that cool? He’s one of the best hunters ever! But between you and me I think he’s a lame softy.” Zero pretended to glare at Axl, who returned a playful smirk. He moved his head from Zero’s neck and began nuzzling into his chest, hiding his face. “I like him though. He’s teaching me how to be a good hunter, and I don’t feel so lonely when I’m with him…” Zero noticed Axl’s voice sadden towards the end. “I miss you Red…” Axl became still, almost limp, except for his arms which tightened around his pillow.

Zero felt like he’d been caught off guard. He honestly believed Axl was adjusting well to hunter life, or if he needed something he’d ask. He was always vocal about his thoughts and feelings. He assumed if Axl was still having trouble dealing with the Red Alert incident that he would mention it. Perhaps his mistake was not keeping a better eye on Axl. He’d always done so with X… Axl was still eerily quiet. Having comforted X so often in the past, Zero decided he knew perfectly well what to do.

“Shhh… Shhh…” Zero moved his free hand to Axl’s back, rubbing it soothingly. He could see Axl calming down and gripping the pillow less tightly. He continued cooing at him. Once Axl was calm he readjusted himself. He twisted around in Zero’s lap until his back pressed against Zero’s chest and settled down. He nuzzled his head upwards against Zero’s chin before leaning back, letting out a heavy sigh. Zero wrapped his arms around Axl again, holding him across his belly. “I love you Axl.” He wasn’t sure if he was speaking as himself or as Red anymore, but he knew the words would have been the same either way. He wondered if Axl would realize that. He gave a soft kiss to the top of his head and smiled, Axl’s hair tickling his nose.

“X.” Axl suddenly stated. Zero looked at Axl in confusion, expecting clarification. “I’m supposed to be X, remember?” Axl gave him another large smile. Zero’s confused frown was replaced with his own smile, albeit a small one. He closed his eyes and leaned back.

“X…” he whispered to himself again, stroking Axl’s hair. “How have you been, X?”

Axl wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to play the role of X. It was easy enough for Zero to assume Red was a mentor or parental figure to Axl and act accordingly. Axl, however, was less certain about the nature of X and Zero’s relationship. He realized there was an awful lot he didn’t know about X and Zero. All he knew before running away to join the hunters was that they were famous and he wanted to be trained by them. Then after spending more time in the base he learned that X hadn’t always been the kind of person he was now. He wondered what X was like before, but remembered he had a question to answer. He smiled mischievously to himself.

“I’ve been dumb and grumpy.” Zero opened his eyes to look down at Axl, who looked back at him with his tongue sticking out. So this was how he was going about it? Zero smirked at him.

Axl took this as a sign to continue. “I like to yell at everyone until they get bored and leave. Then I yell at myself. Then when I get bored of me, I call Zero and yell at him too.” Zero started giving a low chuckle, which made Axl smile. He always thought Zero’s cool tough-guy expression was his favorite, but he decided he quite liked seeing him smile and laugh too. It felt like he got to see something special.

“Maybe if you stopped yelling at me like a hunter and tried talking to me like a friend again, you wouldn’t be so dumb and grumpy.” Uh oh. He realized too late where this was going and worried he had said something wrong. Zero felt his frustrations come back. “Remember how I used to train you, X? You hesitated so much. You thought you were weak, but look how far you’ve come. I’m so proud of you… but…” Zero started gripping Axl tighter than was comfortable. Axl decided that, yes, he had most definitely said something wrong. Or maybe this would have been inevitable regardless. He wasn’t sure anymore.

Zero remained silent. Axl was realizing how often Zero used silence as his go-to response when confronted with emotions he didn’t want to face. Or didn’t know how to face. He wasn’t sure about that either. He was becoming unsure about a lot of things tonight. Welp, he couldn’t mess up any more than he already had, and he certainly wasn’t going anywhere with Zero holding him so tight.

“Zero, was our training fun?” He decided he’d take the opportunity to learn more about the two. X and Zero seemed to have gotten along a lot better in the past. He’d always been curious, but neither ever wanted to talk about it.

“For me.” Zero smirked sadly. “But you came around to it too, once my training made you stronger. We used to spar all the time…” Zero loosened his grip, so Axl decided that this time he said something right. He relaxed into Zero, ready for what he decided was his own special story time. “You were picked on so much, but you never did anything. You never stood up for yourself. No one ever thought you’d be fit for fighting, least of all defeating Sigma. But I always knew you’d be a great hunter. So many times you hid away to cry, or thought about quitting, but I made sure you stayed. I made sure you could let your potential grow. I made sure you were safe. I made sure you could see in yourself what I saw in you…” Axl was slowly understanding the kind of person X was to Zero. “I remember when you’d sneak up behind me when no one was around and play pranks… to cover my eyes and have me guess who it was…” A moment of realization struck Axl. So this was why he’d acted so strange earlier. Axl would have felt guilty if it hadn’t been how they got into this situation in the first place.

By now Zero had gotten into the rhythm of storytelling. Axl readjusted himself in Zero’s lap occasionally to get comfortable, intently focused on the stories he was telling. And he was telling him near everything. He heard about their fights with Sigma, their fights with each other, about the times X had thought Zero was gone forever. How X loved to have his hair stroked, the ways he liked to be held, his favorite hobbies. How X would often get lonely at night and ask Zero if they could sleep together in his bed. How sleeping together happened often enough that Zero’s charging pod became dusty from lack of use. The more he heard the more he realized how drastically different X was before, and why Zero was always so standoffish and melancholy around him now. He was beginning to understand so many things more clearly tonight. He let Zero talk as much as he needed while he let himself get lost in thought.

It was a while before Zero’s rambling died down, but once he stopped he started aggressively nuzzling Axl. It was enough to bring the smaller reploid’s attention back. He saw Axl’s smiling face turn towards his and smiled back. Axl looked so much like X sometimes. Kind of. Maybe he was finally going crazy. There was no denying the resemblance in their eyes though. Axl had the same green eyes that X had. He couldn’t help getting lost in them and thinking back to better times, too tired to continue rambling. For the moment this was his X again. The one he could always talk to and watch over. This was how things should be between them. He felt an overwhelming giddiness take over. He motioned Axl out of his lap and laid down properly in the bed, his back against the mattress. Axl decided to lay down too. Zero wrapped a leg around Axl’s and began spooning him. He did whatever came naturally now with no hesitation, completely lost in the moment. Stroking Axl’s hair back, rubbing a thumb against his cheek, kisses on his head, neck, face… Real or not, he didn’t care anymore. He felt like he was in a dream.

Zero was looking at him so lovingly. Axl never knew a terrifying force like Zero could look so soft or treat anyone so gently, and it made him blush. He decided he much preferred Zero being himself and not Red, but he knew the same couldn’t be said for Zero at the moment. It was obvious from Zero’s gaze he wasn’t seeing Axl in his mind, but a different person from a different time. Regardless, he soaked up the affection and coddling all the same. He sighed and whined, anything to encourage Zero to keep showering him with more and more attention. Zero was more than willing to give, cooing X’s name and showering him with as much as he demanded.

Cuddling, nipping, wrestling, everything. Zero felt in bliss.

Eventually, they both reached their limits and began drifting to sleep. Zero was on his back with Axl curled up against his side. He kept an arm around him, lazily rubbing his shoulder. Axl was softly humming.

“I love you, X” Zero said sleepily.

“Love you too, Zero” Axl replied before returning to his humming. Zero moved his hand upwards to pat Axl’s hair.

“I love you, Axl.” This time Axl was the one caught off guard. Zero was obviously not playing the part of Red anymore. He blushed and looked up at Zero. His mind was no longer lost in the past but very much in the present. He was looking at him as lovingly as before, but this time as Axl and not X. Zero closed his eyes and gave one last ruffle to Axl’s hair before finally falling asleep. Axl watched him for a few minutes, still blushing. Giggles erupted from him, happy at the way their relationship was evolving. He no longer felt lonely. Maybe he could even get around to X one day. “We should do this again tomorrow…” was his final thought before drifting off to sleep.


End file.
